SAN FRANCISCO – Volunteers for Leland Yee’s campaign for mayor are hearing about and witnessing many instances of potential voter fraud and election violations conducted by Ed Lee’s campaign. Over the past several days, Yee’s volunteers have witnessed or heard from voters about at least six different incidents of voter fraud or intimidation.

“I am deeply concerned that the voting rights of individuals are being abused, seniors in subsidized housing are being taken advantage of, and laws that are meant to protect the integrity of the voting process are being ignored and circumvented,” said Yee.

Yesterday, the Bay Citizen and the San Francisco Chronicle reported on workers of an independent expenditure campaign for Ed Lee filling out ballots for voters and in some cases using a stencil which only allowed voters to cast their vote for Lee and no other candidate. The Ed Lee workers also collected dozens of vote-by-mail ballots from voters at the make-shift station.

“What we are hearing from the field is deeply concerning, not just for our campaign but for the integrity of this election and our democracy,” said Jim Stearns, Yee’s campaign manager. “We are encouraging individuals to report potential violations to the Department of Elections; unfortunately, our volunteers are witnessing that many voters are reluctant to speak out, because they are afraid of potential retaliation such as losing their housing.”

These incidents appear to be just the tip of the iceberg as Yee’s campaign volunteers and workers have also witnessed the following voter and election fraud:

At a number of Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC) run housing complexes, residents told Yee workers that they turned their ballots over to their apartment managers. Volunteer Tommy Lin said, “Many residents told me they didn’t even know who they voted for, because their ballots were turned over before they were filled out.”

According to Yee worker Andy Li, at the federally-funded Senior Housing Complex on 441 Ellis St, residents were invited to the common room for help on how to fill out their absentee ballots, but were first treated to a projector video of commercials and videos of Ed Lee. Residents then were “assisted” by Ed Lee volunteers in filling out their absentee ballots.

In clear violation of election law, Bayview volunteers told Yee’s Field Director Anthony Thomas that they were paid $150 cash to walk precincts and do other voter contact in the neighborhood.

In a number of Filipino housing complexes, absentee ballots still have not arrived at residents’ homes, raising concerns that they may have been removed by apartment management. Yee is widely considered to be heavily favored in the Filipino American community.

A number of Ed Lee volunteers have attested that they were assigned to work on both Ed Lee’s official mayoral campaign as well as his various independent expenditure campaigns, raising serious issues of illegal coordination between the campaigns.

“It is imperative that the Elections Office, Ethics Commission, Secretary of State, District Attorney, Attorney General, and the US Attorney immediately investigate these various illegalities,” said Stearns. “Ed Lee and his comrades are already under investigation by the DA and US Attorney; it is now time for him to come clean for the good of San Francisco.”

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Leland Yee is endorsed by the United Educators of San Francisco, California Nurses Association, Sierra Club, San Francisco Firefighters, AFSCME, SEIU, San Francisco Labor Council, and the San Francisco Building and Construction Trades Council. Yee immigrated to San Francisco at the age of 3. His father, a veteran, served in the US Army and the Merchant Marine, and his mother was a local seamstress. Yee graduated from the University of California – Berkeley, then earned a Ph.D. in Child Psychology, and later served in various mental health and school settings. He and his wife, Maxine, have raised four children who all attended San Francisco public schools. Yee has served in the State Legislature, Board of Supervisors and Board of Education.”

“SF ETHICS COMMISSION ANNOUNCES THAT THE INDIVIDUAL EXPENDITURE CEILING HAS BEEN RAISED FOR MAYORAL CANDIDATES”

So, look forward to even more of your money to be spent like this:

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All the deets:

The San Francisco Ethics Commission announced today that it raised the Individual Expenditure Ceiling of nine publicly financed mayoral candidates, Michela Alioto-Pier, John Avalos, David Chiu, Bevan Dufty, Tony Hall, Dennis Herrera, Joanna Rees, Phil Ting and Leland Yee, to $1,575,000. The Individual Expenditure Ceiling for these nine candidates was raised because the Total Supportive Funds of another candidate totaled $1,577,875.

Based on filings received by the Ethics Commission yesterday, Total Supportive Funds of Ed Lee, a candidate for Mayor, totaled $1,577,875. Accordingly, by law, the Ethics Commission was required to raise the Individual Expenditure Ceiling of all publicly financed mayoral candidates.

A candidate running for Mayor who seeks public funding must abide by his or her Individual Expenditure Ceiling, which begins at $1,475,000, and may be raised in increments of $100,000 based on the sum of opposition spending against the participating candidate and the total supportive funds of the candidate’s opponents. A candidate is required to file Form SFEC-152(b)-2 within 24 hours of receiving contributions or making expenditures that equal or exceed $1,000,000 and for every $50,000 thereafter. Any person making independent expenditures, electioneering communications, or member communications that clearly identify a candidate for Mayor is required to file Form SFEC-152(b)-3 within 24 hours of each time the person spends $5,000 or more per candidate.

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The Ethics Commission, established in November 1993, serves the public, City employees and officials and candidates for public office through education and enforcement of ethics laws. Its duties include: filing and auditing of campaign finance disclosure statements, lobbyist and campaign consultant registration and regulation, administration of the public financing program, conflict of interests reporting, investigations and enforcement, education and training, advice giving and statistical reporting.

Well, as far as the District Two Supervisor race is concerned, the big news is the SweetMelissa Griffin Debate on Wednesday, July 28th. You just don’t who all is going to come, that’s part of the drama. (Bonus: You might be able to search for that America’s Cup trophy up at the Golden Gate Yacht Club during the shebang.)

It’s that time of the year when SFYD elects its Executive Board. After the July 28th candidate debate SFYD members will vote on five elected positions. The elected positions, the candidates and theirquestionnaires are below:

SF ETHICS COMMISSION ANNOUNCES THAT THE INDIVIDUAL EXPENDITURE CEILING HAS BEEN RAISED FOR BOARD OF SUPERVISORS CANDIDATES IN DISTRICT 2

The San Francisco Ethics Commission announced today that it raised the Individual Expenditure Ceiling of two publicly financed candidates in District 2, Kat Anderson and Abraham Simmons, to $153,000. The Individual Expenditure Ceiling for these two candidates was raised because the Total Supportive Funds of another candidate in the district totaled $160,915.

Yesterday, Mark Farrell, a candidate for the Board of Supervisors in District 2, filed a form indicating that he has raised $160,915. Accordingly, by law, the Ethics Commission was required to raise the Individual Expenditure Ceiling of publicly financed candidates in District 2.

A candidate running for the Board of Supervisors who seeks public funding must abide by his or her Individual Expenditure Ceiling, which begins at $143,000, and may be raised in increments of $10,000 based on the sum of opposition spending against the participating candidate and the total supportive funds of the candidate’s opponents. A candidate is required to file Form SFEC-152(a)-2 within 24 hours of receiving contributions or making expenditures that equal or exceed $100,000 and for every $10,000 thereafter. Any person making independent expenditures, electioneering communications, or member communications that clearly identify a candidate for the Board of Supervisors is required to file Form SFEC-152(a)-3 within 24 hours of each time the person spends $5,000 or more per candidate.

The Ethics Commission, established in November 1993, serves the public, City employees and officials and candidates for public office through education and enforcement of ethics laws. Its duties include: filing and auditing of campaign finance disclosure statements, lobbyist and campaign consultant registration and regulation, administration of the public financing program, conflict of interests reporting, investigations and enforcement, education and training, advice giving and statistical reporting.